How to play Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo

How to Play Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo

In Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo, each player receives in total seven cards over the course of five betting rounds, out of which they must form their best five-card high hand as well as their best five-card low hand. Different combinations of five cards may be used to form each hand.

The betting proceeds in the same fashion as in the high-only version of the game (see How to Play Seven-Card Stud). Antes are posted by all players before the cards are dealt, and then three cards are dealt to each player: two face down or ‘hole’ cards, and one face up. The first round’s betting is started by the player with the lowest value face up card, and subsequent rounds by the highest showing hand. After the first round of betting, three more face-up cards are dealt (with betting rounds between them) and then a final down, or hole card, after which one final round of betting takes place.

At the end of this fifth and final round of betting, the last player to act shows his hand, followed by the other remaining players (who are not obliged to show losing hands).

The pot at the end of the hand is split between the winning high hand and the winning low hand, with any extra chip going to the winner of the high. It is possible for low or even high hands to tie exactly, meaning that the pot is further subdivided – for example, one half of the pot might be split between several equal low hands, with the entire other half going to the one high winner.

Low hand rules:

A low hand is an unpaired hand containing the lowest combination of cards available. Ace counts as low, with straights and flushes not counting against the low. The best possible low hand is therefore A 2 3 4 5, any suits (known as ‘the wheel,’ or ‘bicycle’).

To qualify for a low to be eligible, the highest card in the low hand must be 8 or lower.

Lows are compared from highest card down, so low hand 7 5 4 3 2 beats 8 5 4 3 2. Similarly, 2 3 4 5 7 beats A 2 3 6 7, as, if the highest card is the same (7, in this case), the hand is then compared on second-highest (5 is lower than 6), and so on.

Example hand:

Dana has (Ad 3d 4s) 2d 6h 9c Kc
Ben has (2s 2h 3s) Ah 2c 4d 6d
John has (7s 8s 9s) 10d Jd Jc Ac

Dana’s high hand: Ad Kc 9c 6h 4s (Ace high)
Dana’s low hand: A 2 3 4 6 (six low)

Ben’s high hand: 2s 2h 2c Ah 6d (three of a kind 2s)
Ben’s low hand: A 2 3 4 6 (six low)

John’s high hand: 7s 8s 9s 10d Jd/c (straight, Jack high)
John’s low hand: No low possible

If the pot at the end of this hand were $100, then half ($50) would go to John, whose straight wins the high, and the other half would be split between Ben and Dana ($25 each) as their lows are exactly the same.

Note about splitting: People talk in hi-lo games about being “three-quartered” when despite having the nut low, they end up losing money overall due to the way the pot is split. For example, two people heads up might pour money into a pot with the wheel (A 2 3 4 5) but one of them could perhaps also have a 6 in their hand, making a higher straight for their high hand. If all the betting has been done by the same two people, the one with the low only will find he is getting only one quarter of the pot at showdown (as he loses one half and ties the other), therefore losing money with the nut low.

Playing hi-lo involves making decisions about the relative value of your own hand – knowing when to slow down betting with just a low, simply call with it, or even when to fold it will save money in the long term. Hands with potential to ‘scoop,’ – win both high and low – are what it’s all about. This is perhaps even more relevant in Omaha hi-lo, but it’s wise to be aware that holding the nuts one way does not guarantee a profit.